Brendan lettered all four of his high school years in swimming and was captain in his senior year at Danvers High School. He was his high school MVP his last two years and All-League since his sophomore year. A freestyler, Brendan also swam in Beverly, MA, for the YMCA of the North Shore, longtime Eastern Massachusetts and New England YMCA team champions.

A National Merit Scholar and the valedictorian of his high school class, Brendan is currently a linguistics major at Yale. Brendan selected Yale because of its academic reputation, its great atmosphere, and its traditions, including his own family tradition as both of Brendan's parents participated in athletics at Yale. His father rowed freshman crew and his mother was the founder and first captain of the women's track and cross country teams.

Two of Brendan's most memorable athletic experiences to date were swimming at YMCA Long Course Nationals and his freshman year swimming for Yale..